Allen Payne (born July 7, 1968) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Jason Alexander in the 1994 drama film ''

Jason's Lyric ''Jason's Lyric'' is a 1994 American romance film, romantic psychological drama, psychological Drama (film and television), drama film, written by Bobby Smith Jr., directed by Doug McHenry, who co-produced the film with George Jackson (producer), ...

'', as well as his portrayal of C.J. Payne on the family sitcom '' Tyler Perry's House of Payne'' (2006–2012, 2020-present). Payne is also known for his portrayal of Lance Rodman on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

's ''

The Cosby Show ''The Cosby Show'' is an American television sitcom created by (along with Ed. Weinberger and Michael J. Leeson) and starring Bill Cosby that originally aired on NBC from September 20, 1984, to April 30, 1992, with a total of 201 half-hour e ...

'' during its final two seasons. On film, Payne also played Gerald "Gee Money" Wells in the 1991 film ''

New Jack City ''New Jack City'' is a 1991 American crime action film directed by Mario Van Peebles (in his feature film directorial debut) and written by Thomas Lee Wright and Barry Michael Cooper, based on a story by Wright. The film stars Wesley Snipes, I ...

'', and Detective Justice in the 1995 film '' Vampire in Brooklyn''.

Life and career

Payne was born Allen Roberts in the

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

neighborhood of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, the eldest son of Allen Roberts and Barbara Reeves. He attended Pennsauken High School in

Pennsauken Township, New Jersey Pennsauken Township is a township in Camden County, in the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area in the U.S. state of New Jersey, and it is located outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which it borders directly on the Delaware River. As of the 2 ...

. Payne's first television role was in a 1990 episode of ''

''. Over the span of two seasons he played the role of Lance Rodman, the boyfriend of the character Charmaine. Payne subsequently appeared in episodes of '' The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air'' and '' Malcolm & Eddie''. Payne has appeared in many films. He played "Dead Mike" in the Nelson George-produced and Chris Rock-written hip-hop parody '' CB4''. He also appeared in ''

'', ''

'', '' Vampire in Brooklyn'', '' Double Platinum'', and '' The Perfect Storm''. He also appeared in the Stacy Lattisaw video ''I'm Not The Same Girl''. Since 2006, he has starred as C.J. Payne on '' Tyler Perry's House of Payne''. In 2018, he reprised his role from ''House of Payne'' on the short-lived spinoff '' The Paynes'' that was ultimately cancelled in favor of the parent series’ reboot. In 2022, he also stars and reprised his role as "Gee Money" in the stage adaptation of ''

: Live on Stage'', produced by playwright Je'Caryous Johnson.

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Payne, Allen 1968 births Living people Male actors from New Jersey Male actors from Manhattan Pennsauken High School alumni People from Pennsauken Township, New Jersey American male film actors American male television actors People from Harlem 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors 20th-century African-American male actors 21st-century African-American male actors Actors from Camden County, New Jersey